Floor covering and fastening means therefor



June 7, 1955 w. J. REINHARD FLOOR COVERING AND FASTENING MEANS THEREFOR Filed Sept. 20, 1950 gi mmum mmmlmm I IN VEN TOR. WA 715/? MAE/N/Mflo ,4 TTOR/VEX FLOOR COVERING AND FASTENING MEANS THEREFOR Walter J. Reinhard, Westwood, N. J.

Application September 20, 1950, Serial No. 185,753

4 Claims. (Cl. 16-16) This invention relates to a floor covering and fastening means therefor whereby the marginal edges of the covering may be securely fastened in close proximity to the walls and baseboards surrounding floor areas.

Heretofore, various objections have been raised to the direct tacking of carpet, laid over the usual resilient overlay, to the floor surfaces along the margin of the carpet, due to the unattractive appearance of the tack heads and the formation of pockets which tend to accumulate dirt and moreover cause a certain amount of damage to the carpet. The relevant prior art has endeavoured to eliminate these objections by providing a rigid construction, which is laid along the floor adjacent the baseboard to which the carpet is secured. Such devices, however, have been of complicated construction and have been primarily objectionable due to the labor involved in properly installing the strips as a construction unit of the baseboard and floor itself. It is necessary also to cut these rigid members into proper lengths to fit the particular job and it is virtually impossible to obtain a perfect fit along irregular walls and floor surfaces due to the rigidity of the material. Also, difficulties arise in fitting this material to doorways, fireplaces and other room openings.

The present invention eliminates these prior difficulties by the provision of a novel anchoring tape, by virtue of which the marginal edge of the carpeting may be securely and permanently positioned adjacent the wall without tacking directly through the carpet margin on the top side. My improved carpet binding device comprises a flexible tape, having plate members situated thereon at designated intervals, said plate members being provided with protruding prongs, preferably disposed at an angle to the plate member and directed toward the wallboard, for ex ample. In laying wall to wall carpeting by the use of my improved carpet binding strip, the pile carpet fabrics and underlay cushion are cut so that the marginal edges are in abutting relationship to the wall or baseboard, and my improved edge binding strip with the pronged anchor plates attached thereto is laid along the top of the cushion underlay with the prongs directed upwardly and toward the wall surface. These pronged anchor plates are then anchored to the floor through the cushion. underlay by suitable securing means. In certain instances, the plates may have openings through which tacks or nails are driven, so that each of the said plates is individually anchored to the floor surface under the marginal edge of the carpet. It is also contemplated that a portion of each plate may be formed with an up-turned portion, so that the plates may be rapidly anchored to the floor surface through the underlay by means of a stapling hammer or the like. After stretching, the marginal edge of the carpeting is firmly pressed down, so that the protruding prongs penetrate the backing along the marginal edge of the carpet and the carpet is firmly anchored along the edge of the wall.

The present tape lies flat between the carpet and the underlay and eliminates bulky irregularities which characterize the structural type of binding devices, producing a nited States Patent 'a nail through the opening 16 of the tab 15.

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smooth and even appearance around the marginal edges of the rug.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a cross section of a floor surface and baseboard with my improved anchoring tape installed in position. Figure 2 shows my anchoring device applied to cement floors. Figure 3 illustrates a plan view showing a number of the pronged plates adhesively secured to the upper surface of the tape. Figure 4 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Figure 3. Figure 5 is a similar cross section of the tape, showing a modified way of positioning the anchoring plates. Figure 6 shows a modified form of tape adapted to be used in the same manner as the tape illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. Figure 7 illustrates the use of the modified anchoring tape in securing pile carpeting to stairways. Figure 8 shows a modified way of anchoring the tape to the margin of the floor surface.

Referring to the drawings, it will be observed that I have provided a strip 10 of canvas or other suitably flexible material, having anchor plates 11 adhesively secured to the surface of the tape in spaced relation. Each of these anchoring plates includes a plurality of upwardly directed prongs 12, which preferably are inclined slightly, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, for a purpose to be presently described. The anchoring plates 11 are also formed with a tab portion 15 adjacent one edge of the tape 16. The tabs 15 are formed with openings 16 through which nails or other securing devices 16a may be driven. As alternative securing means, an upturned portion 17 may be formed at the end of the tape 15 for the purpose of anchoring the tape in position by means of a staple which may be applied to the anchor plate, so that it straddles the extending tab 15 as shown in Figure 8.

In applying the present method to the anchoring of carpets to wooden floor surfaces, the carpet underlay 18, shown in Figure l, is first cut to the proper area and then applied to the floor surface 19 so that the edge of the underlay is slightly spaced from the baseboard or wall 20 to provide space for the carpet edge. My improved tape, which may for convenience be made up in the form of rolls, is then laid along the surface of the underlay at the marginal edge thereof, so that the edge of the tape approximates the edge of the underlay and with the prongs 12 directed toward the baseboard. Each of the anchor plates 11 is individually anchored to the floor by driving It will be appreciated from Figure 1 that the nail goes through the tape 12 and underlay 18 into the surface of the floor, thereby securing the anchor plates to the floor through the underlay.

The carpet is then placed over the underlay, stretched into position and pressure applied to force the up-turned prongs 12 of the anchor plates 11 into the backing 13 of the pile carpet 14. The surplus edge of the carpet 14 is now trimmed off and the terminal edge tamped between the wall and the underlay as shown in Figure 1. In the case of cement floors, for example, the carpet 14 and underlay 18 are fitted to the wall as shown in Figure 2. The tabs 15 of the anchor plates are bent upwardly and nailed to the wall as clearly indicated.

Referring to Figure 6, a modified form of tape is illustrated which includes a paper hacking 21 and a strip of woven material 22. Between the paper backing 21 and the fabric strip 22 are a number of anchor plates 23 and 24 in spaced relation having a plurality of prongs 25 extending upwardly through the fabric tape 22. It will be observed that the anchor plates 23 are formed with openings 26 and 27 at their opposite ends and the opening 28 at approximately the middle of each plate. The general arrangement of the anchor plates on the tape, shown in Figure 6, is substantially similar to the tape shown and described in my co-pending application, Serial No.

92,063, filed May 7, 1949, now Patent No. 2,552,114, dated May 8, 1951, which is directed more particularly to the bonding together of the adjacent edges of carpet sections. it will be appreciated that the tape illustrated in Figure 6 may be suitable for both operations, namely, the formation of a permanent bonding between edges of carpets and securing the marginal edge of the same carpet .to the floor in the manner previously described for the tape 10 shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the present drawing.

This is accomplished in the present case by applying the tape 21 over the edge of the resilient underlay 18 along the foot of the baseboard 20 and driving nails through the opening 26 at the end of the anchor plates 23 and 24 nearest the baseboard 20. The nails or other securing devices will thereupon extend through the fabric tape 22, the opening 26 and the backing 21 through the resilient underlay 18 and into the floor surface to firmly anchor the structure along the baseboard. The surface of the tape then receives a coating of rubber adhesive and the marginal edge of the pile fabric carpet is then pressed downwardly so that the pointed elements or grippers penetrate the backing and the undersurface of the carpet backing engages the rubber adhesive coated upon the surface of the tape 22.

Figure 7 illustrates the application of the tape, as shown in Figure 6, to a stairway wherein it will be appreciated that a cushion underlay 30 is first positioned over the stair and stair riser and thereafter the tape bent at the weakened portions 28 to approximately and positioned in the corner of the stair and stair riser whereafter nails may be suitably driven through the openings 28 to securely position the assembly in proper relationship. As previously, the tape may then be coated with a suitable adhesive material and the carpeting firmly pressed into the crevice provided by the tape so that the carpet backing is penetrated by the protruding elements 25. The stair carpeting may then be stretched before the adhesive has set to properly conform to the contour of the stairway.

I claim:

1. A floor covering or the like and fastening means therefor, comprising a resilient underlay terminal portion, constituting the marginal edge of the underlay, a strip of flexible material forming a tape along and above the marginal edge of the underlay, a series of relatively flat anchoring plates secured in spaced relation along said tape, said anchoring plates having means associated therewith for anchoring said plates to the floor surface through the underlay, said plates having prongs extending upwardly and a pile fabric carpeting disposed over the underlay so that its backing is penetrated and securely engaged by said prongs along the marginal edge of the carpeting corresponding with the marginal edge of the underlay.

2. A laminated floor covering and fastening means therefor, comprising an underlay of resilient material, a flexible tape disposed above the underlay and along a marginal edge thereof, a series of relatively flat anchor plates secured in spaced relation along said tape, said anchor plates having prongs projecting upwardly and inwardly toward the edge of the carpeting, said plates having openings whereby each of the plates may be anchored to an adjacent surface through the underlay and a. pile fabric carpet over the underlay, having its marginal edge securely engaged by said prongs whereby the carpet has a neat and even appearance adjacent the marginal edge and is securely anchored in position against an adjacent surface.

3. A laminated floor covering and fastening means therefor comprising a resilient underlay, a strip of flexible tape extending above the underlay along the marginal edge thereof, said tape having secured thereon a series of relatively flat metal plates in spaced relation, said plates having openings whereby the said tape and plates may be anchored through the underlay to an adjacent surface, said plates having a plurality of upwardly projected prongs, a coating of adhesive material along the upper surface of said tape and a pile fabric above the underlay and having the marginal edge securely fastened to the tape by means of the prongs and adhesive material.

4. A laminated construction for carpet edges, comprising a resilient underlay, a strip of flexible tape extending above the underlay along the marginal edge thereof, said tape having secured thereon a series of relatively flat metal plates in spaced relation, said plates having openings whereby the said tape and plates may be anchored through the underlay to an adjacent surface, said plates having a plurality of upwardly projected prongs and weakened sections at an intermediate portion so that they may be bent to adapt the said tape to an angular crevice.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 362,476 Worley May 3, 1887 451,607 Holmes May 5, 1891 665,855 Warner Ian. 8, 1901 888,713 Kingston May 26, 1908 2,211,574 McNicholas Aug. 13, 1940 2,238,946 Roberts Apr. 22, 1941 2,532,704 fFrazelle et al. Dec. 5, 1950 2,552,114 Reinhard May 8, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 9,250 Great Britain 1898 19,857 Great Britain 1909 192,286 Great Britain Feb. 1, 1923 

